Author: Lance "Tarnot" Hood

Today’s Mortal Kombat X roundup includes the usual spattering of combo videos, but we’ve got a few more random bits of strategy than we’ve been highlighting in recent updates. This shows that players are beginning to move away from creating the longest combos possible and are instead figuring out ways to open up opponents and actually land those combos in the first place.

First, we’ve got a Kano option select that allows the cybernetic fighter incredible pressure on a downed opponent. As you’ll see in Redemptionmusicz’ clip below, this series of inputs beats all of Sub-Zero’s wake up options (including EX slide) by slamming out enough hits fast enough to break armor, and it doesn’t cancel into the Eye Burst on block or back dash.

Up next, we’ve got a few assorted bits of strategy from Tom Brady and REO that everyone should be sure to check out.

Starting out, they offer up a strange Sub-Zero option against D’Vorah. Typically, if Sub-Zero’s EX slide tosses an opponent into an ice clone on the first hit, its second hit will break the frozen state that the ice clone causes. At a certain range against some of D’Vorah’s attacks, Sub can throw out an EX slide, knock her into an ice clone, and the second hit of the EX slide will whiff and leave D’Vorah frozen for whatever sort of slick combo he feels like unleashing.

This isn’t the sort of thing that will come up very often at all, but it’s weird and worth keeping in mind for this match-up.

Up next, the duo display a bit of Liu Kang technology that, so far as anyone can tell, appears to be a bug. It seems that if Liu Kang manages to put an opponent in hitstun, he can then perform an air fireball and land without having to go through his recovery frames. This makes the fighter a much bigger threat from full screen.

And lastly, Tom Brady and REO show off a meterless vortex for Jacqui’s shotgun variant. The idea behind it is fairly simple: just combo into a shotgun re-stand, cover the ground to your opponent, make them pick high or low block, and if they guess wrong, do it all again.

The first thing that a Jacqui player will likely note when watching this is the absurd amount of stamina bar required to keep up the spacing necessary to maintain the 50/50 pressure. Tom and REO made sure to address this as well; Jacqui has a normal that moves her quite far forward and can be used in this situation as part of an option select in order to provide spacing when the stamina bar isn’t available to do so. She can, through the use of this option select and her stamina bar, move the opponent from one corner to the other with this vortex.

At the moment, she isn’t able to score much damage off this setup due to the sort of requirements that the re-stand has. This will likely change at some point in the future when a Jacqui player discovers a way to get big damage into a re-stand.

So often, combo videos assume that players are prepared to look at a combo once and immediately know the inputs based purely on the animations, or at least repeatedly pause the footage to jot down notes on which hit follows which so they can pull off the string themselves.

That isn’t the case for this next video, because in addition to including a lengthy selection of Kitana combos, Savage Ogre spends the last half of the video showing each combo in slow motion, complete with the inputs required to pull them off.

Up next, you can pick up some Ferra/Torr combos from Hurtbox TV. As with previous videos, this one covers each of the variations that this fighter brings to the field and shows great ways to score easy damage, as well as some less practical means to push the numbers ever higher as your execution with the duo improves.

Nico Montano is back with another Goro video, this time focusing on the four-armed fighter’s Tigrar Fury variant. In this mode, Goro gains access to a handful of fire-based special attacks, one of which is a low-hitting fireball that pops opponents up when it connects. As Nico demonstrates, this can be used to create safe pressure as well as offer a very fast high/low mix-up on opponents.

Nico spends a good deal of time explaining how this pressure works and the different ways to apply it, as well as what to do after a fireball lands to score the most damage.

And, as we’ve been doing since we started making these roundups, we close things out today with a few character breakdown videos from SupermanSajam. Today’s selection includes Shinnok, Goro, and Scorpion. If you’re looking to pick these characters up, there’s no better place to get a quick and dirty look at how to get into the fight.

Have you found something brutal in Mortal Kombat X that you can’t wait to share? Drop us a line and let us know; your video could be featured in our next roundup!

Sources: Redemptionmusicz, Tom Brady and REO, Savage Ogre, HurtboxTV, Nico Montano and SupermanSajam

The importance of maintaining momentum in fighting games can’t be stressed enough. If you can keep the pressure high, all but the most seasoned opponents will be forced into making poor decisions due to a lack of time to take a step back and assess the situation. While important to every character in every game, there are some fighters who make a favorable momentum look good.

These characters often have high mobility, good setup and mix-up options, and an overall flashy style that makes them a joy to watch. In Ultra Street Fighter IV, Guy can definitely count himself among the characters that, once they get going, are quite difficult to stop.

In the latest installment of their Spotlight series, the folks at Olympic Gaming picked out TBR|Alumni, a Guy player who shows plenty of familiarity with controlling the flow of the match. Whether dealing with fireballs or just slamming out combos, this student of the Bushinryu shows their strength time and again against a handful of big names in the fighting game community.

You can also check out the video’s description for a brief text-based interview with Alumni to learn more.

Source: Olympic Gaming

Well known Mortal Kombat and Injustice: Gods Among Us player–not to mention two-time Evo finalist–Brant “Pig of the Hut” McCaskill kicked off a new podcast series last week to celebrate the launch of Mortal Kombat X. At the moment, McCaskill plans to make The Armory a bi-weekly production loaded with tournament news, interviews with top players, tips and tricks for how to get better, and plenty more.

The first questions that everyone has when something like this starts up is, why watch this podcast? What is it, exactly, that makes this specific series stand out from other videos of a similar nature? In an effort to preemptively answer these questions, McCaskill decided to step up The Armory’s production value, making it as professional as possible. Everything from the set to the information provided to the tone in which McCaskill delivers that information combines to create the same sort of feeling as SportsCenter or other similar programs.

In this week’s episode, McCaskill offers up a Twitter-based contact sheet filled with tournament organizers and important fighting game community members across North America to help players get involved in their local Mortal Kombat X scenes. As you might expect, this list includes folks from NorCal, SoCal, and Chicago–the home of Mortal Kombat–but also provides contacts for people in Tennessee, Arizona, Georgia, Virginia, and more. If you’re looking to get involved locally, definitely check out this list.

McCaskill also spends some time talking to Slips about fundamentals, footsies, and mixups, focusing on topics important to improving that may not be quite so easily defined for new players. The video rounds out with a collection of tips for Quan Chi and Kenshi as well as some final tidbits of assorted information.

If you missed out on last week’s episode, you’ll find that here.

Like what you see? Be sure to let us know in the comments.

Source: Pig of the Hut via Test Your Might

By now, you’ve almost certainly seen a few of Persona’s King of Fighters XIII combo videos. These exhibitions, which always push the limits of the characters involved, have been entertaining combo connoisseurs for quite some time, and they almost always include a couple of 100% damage strings to make sure the footage closes out with a bang.

Today, as a slight change of pace, the combo master casts aside practicality with a nearly six-minute showcase comprised entirely of touch of death combos. The video gives several characters the spotlight, including Ash, Raiden, Mr. Karate, and plenty more.

Expect to see excessive use of both the drive meter and super meter as HD Mode strings and Max Cancels fly to deliver a series of stylish death blows.

Source: Persona

Now that everyone has their first weekend of local tournaments and casual Mortal Kombat X gatherings under their belt, it’s time to kick off the second week of the game’s life with a robust collection of combos and technology for a wide array of characters.

Up first, we’ve got a collection of Jacqui Briggs combos from Hurtbox TV. These strings come from all of the fighter’s variants and show just how much damage she’s capable of dishing out in the right situations; 30% meterless is no big deal mid-screen, and, given the right circumstances, she can push out 50% in the corner using her High Tech variant.

And as always, her combos in the middle of the screen look quite stylish thanks to the amount of running that she has to do in order to keep the hits coming.

They also took Kung Jin to the lab for some combos for each of his variants. This video dedicates a lengthy section to the Shaolin archer’s Ancestral and Bowjutsu styles, as they seem to currently be the most combo heavy, but things like that are always subject to change throughout the life of the game.

The folks at Hurtbox TV didn’t stop there; they’ve actually been quite busy producing lengthy combo videos for the whole cast and show no signs of stopping before they’ve exhausted the entire roster. In addition to Jacqui and Kung Jin, they’ve also released videos for Sub-Zero and Reptile. As with all previous entries, these videos cover combos for each variant that these characters bring to the fight.

And as you might expect, the Reptile video highlights plenty of Basilisk options.

Up next, we’ve got two D’Vorah combos that are actually quite similar to one another. The first, from Shoryuken’s own M’Ellis, opens with the F22 string, which hits overhead, and proceeds to spend a single bar to dish out 45% damage in the corner.

The second, from MrOrchazm, trades the fighter’s F22 string for a jump-in attack opener and manages to squeeze an extra six percent out of this situation for a total of 51% damage. Both of these combos do take advantage of the corner to net their high damage output, but the use of only a single bar in each situation speaks highly of the fighter’s ability to crank out damage and still maintain some meter for other situations outside of combos–or, you know, doing a second 50% combo to close out the round.

Nico Montano, who has previously shared some beautiful Goro videos since Mortal Kombat X’s launch, has another collection of combos for the Shokan today. Many of the combos in this video are meterless, so players can get the hang of how to deal damage without reliance on building bar beforehand. The first third of the video also offers combos that work across all variants, so every Goro player can learn something important from checking out this footage.

We’ve seen a surprisingly low amount of technology coming out of Kung Lao so far. Razer’s Carl “Perfect Legend” White gave a great showing with the Shaolin monk at the pre-release Fatal 8 Tournament, but things have remained rather calm on the bladed hat front since then.

Kamikaze651 is looking to change that with this quick collection of combos for the fighter’s Buzzsaw variant, which includes options that manage to make their way just over the 50% mark toward the end of the video.

To wrap things up, we’ve got a few more character breakdowns from SupermanSajam. Today, the tutorials focus on Raiden, D’Vorah, and Mileena. As with previous breakdowns, Sajam covers the characters’ strengths, their best buttons, how to go about playing them, and what sort of things players can expect from these fighters at this point in the game.

Have you found something brutal in Mortal Kombat X that you can’t wait to share? Drop us a line and let us know; your video could be featured in our next roundup!

Sources: HurtboxTV via RegalSir, M’Ellis, MrOrchazm, Nico Montano via SteelCouncilPresident, Kamikaze651, and SupermanSajam

We’re not even a week into the life of Mortal Kombat X and modders have already figured out how to make the handful of characters exclusive to the game’s story mode into playable fighters. These characters include Rain, Sindel, Baraka, Tanya, and the Klassic Tower final boss, Corrupted Shinnok.

As you watch the videos below, you’ll see that the story mode kombatants have maintained a good deal of their moves from previous Mortal Kombat titles. They are, however, devoid of variants. You will also notice that their names, displayed just below their health bars, show as Shinnok; this is due to the method by which these characters were taken from one area of game’s files and moved to another in order to allow them to be playable.

Below, we’ve embedded videos that show quick glimpses at each of these fighters in action.

Source: XVermillion and RajmanGaming HD via IPLAYWINNER

For reasons that we’ll likely never understand, Nintendo isn’t exactly fond of releasing detailed patch notes when they update Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS. As with any post-release update to a fighting title, most of the changes that occur are rather small, but these little differences could end up costing unsuspecting players a match at the highest level of play. With the game now at ver.1.0.6, we may or may not have seen some drastic changes to any or all of the characters in the game. What a weird thing to say.

Luckily, Mark “Chibo” Korsak and the rest of the CLASH Tournaments crew are dedicated to figuring out everything they can about how each individual character has or hasn’t changed in these patches. This is a grueling process that involves hours of side-by-side comparisons through the use of a handmade device that allows one controller to send inputs to two different copies of the game at once–one with the patch, one without. Each video runs about ten minutes, and with a roster this size, that’s a lot of time that could be saved with full-disclosure from Nintendo.

You’ll find the patch note playlist below, beginning with the Mario breakdown. So far there are nine videos in total, but more will be added as they are completed, so keep checking back.

Source: CLASH Tournaments

The first weekend after the official release of Mortal Kombat X is fast-approaching, but before you pack up your stick and head off to local tournaments, be sure to equip yourself with the latest technology from around the community! Today, we’ve collected yet another wide spread of character representation in the form of combos, gameplay breakdowns, and plenty more.

To get things started today, we’ve got a video from Avoiding the Puddle that every Mortal Kombat X player should give a watch. In it, Aris demonstrates the most reliable way to go about getting an EX special when intending to do so, as well as how to run in the most efficient manner. These are both minor points, but they directly affect every character in some way or another, so they’re definitely worth incorporating into your game plan sooner rather than later.

Another day, another Kotal Kahn showcase from Spabrog! This time, the Emperor of Outworld is shown using a double EX parry to produce some sizable damage against an unsuspecting Takeda. As usual, to net this sort of damage, the kombatant must be under the effects of his damage totem as well as his blood sacrifice.

Shoryuken’s own M’Ellis took D’Vorah to the lab and discovered a useful way to net respectable damage off of her F22 string. If followed by a run cancel, this overhead starter can produce a respectable 39% damage for a single bar.

TMP|NYChrisG has teamed up with the folks at Cross Counter TV again to bring us another extensive combo showcase, this time focusing on Takeda. As with his previous Reptile video, this reel is positively loaded with combos for all three of the fighter’s variants and features followup options to any opener that you can imagine: long-range overhead, anti-air, jump in punch, you name it.

If you’d prefer a set of hand-selected Takeda combos, Michael “IFC Yipes” Mendoza has provided just that with the following five videos. Each features a single combo for the fighter’s Shirai Ryu variant and each produces high damage.

Up next, Honzo Gonzo throws down some high-damage strings with Ferra/Torr’s Vicious variant. With these combos, the duo can claim an average of 35% damage without having to spend any meter. Of course, tacking an X-Ray on to the end where applicable will push the number much higher.

For a full input breakdown, be sure to check out the video’s description.

PND|Ketchup constructed a tutorial for the MKX version of Quan Chi’s infamous rune trap technique. With proper timing and some meter to spend, the sorceror is able to produce massive chip damage in the corner against a majority of the cast. Following a single combo, Quan Chi can drop his chip damage increasing field and then proceed to pummel opponents for nearly half of their health while they’re stuck blocking.

Players looking for Kenshi technology may have noticed that there’s currently a good deal more information out there for the Balanced and Possessed variants of the fighter than his Kenjutsu form. Pig of the Hut changed all that when he uploaded an extensive video that explores this specific form for the blind fighter.

He covers important normals, how to go about starting and maintaining pressure, optimal distances for keeping opponents on their toes, and how to force others into situations where they’ll be prone to blocking at nearly half a screen away, which leaves a great opening for running in and going for some high/low mixups or a throw.

The video also includes ways to easily and reliably give Kenshi a 50/50 opportunity. These setups don’t come cheap, but, honestly, they probably shouldn’t.

As with our previous roundups for Mortal Kombat X, we’re closing things out today with a few character breakdowns from SupermanSajam. Today, the breakdowns cover Reptile, Jax and Erron Black, detailing their various fighting styles, important buttons, basic strategies and more. If you’re looking to pick up any of these three characters, I highly recommend these videos to help establish a solid base to work from.

Have you found something brutal in Mortal Kombat X that you can’t wait to share? Drop us a line and let us know; your video could be featured in our next roundup!

Sources: Avoiding the Puddle, SpabRog, M’Ellis, Cross Counter TV, IFC Yipes, Honzo Gonzo, PND|Ketchup via Haketh, Pig of the Hut via Test Your Might and SupermanSajam

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS players who recently got their hands on the newly-added fighter Mewtwo were sad to discover that the character came equipped with only a single set of special moves. This means that the legendary Pokémon stands out from the cast as the only one stuck in a factory default setting.

Or is he? Smash player Mankalor recently found a method of transferring a Mii from the home console to the handheld that allows Mewtwo to bring a random set of unfinished special moves into the fight. These moves are, for the most part, useless, as a fair majority either lack hitboxes and complete animations or, in one specific case, crash the game.

Though they’re nowhere near complete, the framework for new sets of specials is definitely there, so it should be interesting to see if Mewtwo eventually receives the same custom move treatment as his fellow combatants.

Source: Mankalor via Smash Boards

We’re well into the third day in the life of Mortal Kombat X and the videos coming in from the community show no signs of stopping! Today’s roundup features combos, character breakdowns, bugs, and plenty more, so let’s get started!

To kick things off, we’ve got an interesting video from YenjoiXBL. In the footage, Liu Kang, while equipped with 1.5 bars of super meter, starts laying into a blocking Sub-Zero, but he never actually has to stop. This technique was shown off on Tom Brady and REO’s stream earlier this week and seems to be a blockstring infinite, akin to a similar technique available to Kabal early on in Mortal Kombat 9.

While not quite so big of a deal in other games, the fact that blocked normals still produce chip damage in Mortal Kombat X makes this technique pretty alarming here.

In Mortal Kombat X’s training mode, players can easily swap from variant to variant without having to bounce back to the character select menu. Players can also choose to strip their fighter of variants in order to practice with a sort of blank character. Through doing so, they can find universal combos that are safe to go to in all versions of the fighter.

Bafael did just that with Mileena, and below you’ll find a handful of combos that work for whichever version of the half-Tarkatan that you prefer.

The folks at Hurtbox TV provided a great selection of combos for each of Kitana’s variants for yesterday’s roundup, and today, they keep the combos coming with a similar video for Mileena. There’s an obvious preference away from the fighter’s Ethereal style, but both Piercing and Ravenous get more than enough love to make up the difference.

Nico Montano is back with two more Goro videos. The first shows off the fighters’s high-damage Kuatan Warrior variant in all its glory and the second, which is a much longer piece, focuses on the power of the Dragon Fangs version of the fighter.

As with yesterday, the musical pairings with these videos are at once hilarious and strangely appropriate; there’s just something wonderful about a four-armed brute busting skulls to old school hip-hop.

EnderGamma recently gave us a look at some Kenshi combos for each of his three fighting styles. Today, they share the same sort of video, but this time focusing on the walking well of souls, Ermac. As can be expected from this character, there’s plenty of tossing opponents around and dangling them from the air while they wait for the blows to come.

It just wouldn’t be a Mortal Kombat X roundup without a showing from Kotal Kahn. It seems that SpabRog has pushed the limits of the character just a little bit more than what we’ve previously seen. This time, the Emperor of Outworld brings the damage ticker up to the 98% mark.

Does this mean that we’ll be seeing a 100% damage combo within the first week of the game’s life? It’s certainly not out of the question at the moment.

Up next, Burnout Fighter equips Takeda with his Shirai Ryu variant and shows off some combos that begin from a handful of different openers. They’ve also included some ways to deal with opponents being too low to the ground mid-combo for a spear to connect in order to allow for combo extensions.

We haven’t showcased any bugs yet in the roundups, but today we’ve got a strange glitch from OreoTheWolf that prevents one of Scorpion’s Fatality animations from playing. After the classic tone plays, Kenshi staggers around waiting for a death that never comes. Blanche wanders by in the background. That strange animal that looks sort of like a mutant cow roars and both fighters stand there in awkward silence.

After about thirty second, the Fatality text shows up and the round draws to a close, even though no deathblow is ever dealt.

And, just like yesterday, we close things out with a couple of character breakdowns from SupermanSajam. Today, he’s got demonstrations for Takeda and Kung Jin, both of which cover normals, strings, and combos, as well as how to effectively play these newcomers.

Have you found something brutal in Mortal Kombat X that you can’t wait to share? Drop us a line and let us know; your video could be featured in our next roundup!

Sources: YenjoXBL, Bafael, HurtboxTV via RegalSir, Nico Montano via SteelCouncilPresident, EnderGamma, SpabRog, Burnout Fighter, OreoTheWolf and SupermanSajam